In 1913, Charles Robinson, the first Professor of Civic Design, began to offer courses in Civic Design in the Department of Horticulture.1 In 1929 the Trustees authorized the establishment of curricula offering options in City Planning leading to Bachelor of Science degree in the Department of Civil Engineering and the Department of Landscape Architecture. Since the enrollment in the City Planning Option in the Department of Landscape Architecture had been small, the Trustees in 1940 approved the withdrawal of this option until such time as the demand would call for its reinstatement.3 By 1945 there was sufficient demand for the study of City Planning that the Trustees approved the establishment of the degree of Master of Science in City Planning in the Department of Landscape Architecture.4 In 1953, the name of the Department of Landscape Architecture was changed to the Department of City Planning and Landscape Architecture.5 In 1964, the Trustees authorized another change of name from the Department of City Planning and Landscape Architecture to the Department of Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture.6 In 1965, they became separate departments.7 In 1970, the department merged with the Bureau of Community Planning to form the Department of Urban and Regional Planning.8

Established in 1934, the Bureau of Community Planning was a research and extension unit in the area of municipal planning.9 It conducted research in city and metropolitan regional development and cooperates with municipal official.10 The Bureau published land use study findings and sponsored conferences. In 1970, the Bureau merged with the Urban Planning Department and became the Bureau of Urban and Regional Planning Research, an administrative unit of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning.11

1. Catalogs and Registers, 1913-14, p. 406 and 412. Before this time, the Catalogs and Registers make no mention of a professorship or courses in civic design.

Description: Research Digest Correspondence Subject files of the Bureau of Community Planning containing materials related to the Research Digest and the Quarterly Digest of Urban and Regional Planning (which succeeded the Research Digest in 1966) including correspondence of Scott Keyes (editor), Alice Rodgers (Production manager), and Joyce Sozen (associate editor) with universities, colleges, governmental agencies, associations, foreign officials and foundations about requests for abstracts and review copies of publications and reports; research projects and grants; a 1962-63 Resources for the Future, Inc. - sponsored study of urban and regional planning curricula in American universities and colleges; staff recruitment and editorial correspondence. The majority of the file is for 1960-1970.